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Frequently asked questions

Are you related to Rufus/Martha/Louden or the general or the colonel or…?

Nope! Dad changed the family name. And my sister took her husband’s name, so now I’m the last Original Wainwright standing. Bye-bye, Anglo-assimilator name—you were fun while you lasted!

I started a blog and I’m a little overwhelmed. I was trying to make myself feel better by looking at your “early days” , is there any way to search your archives by date, or is it only by topic/category?

Alas, for now, there is not. However, a cheater way is do type the desired month into your URL (address) bar:

Basically, the year, a forward-slash, the month. You’ll still have to page back to the beginning, but it’s better than nothing. I think.

I’m freaking out about WordPress/blogging/Twitter. Are there any reference materials you really loved and can recommend?

Yes and no. The media landscape is shifting so fast, it’s hard to recommend stuff unless you’re spending all your time vetting the sources, which I’m not interested in doing. Google is your friend here: “WordPress” + “beginning” or “getting started.” You get the idea. (Or if you don’t, ask your kid.)

I’m coming to L.A. and would love to meet up in person. May I take you out for coffee/drinks/lunch and talk about life/marketing/our intestines?

Probably not. I’ve met so many awesome people this way that it kills me to say “no,” but it started killing me and my health and my work to say “yes” so I had to severely curtail this sort of stuff.

Will you friend me on Facebook?

Most likely. I’ve made amazing friends through Facebook: People whom I’ve visited in 3-D. People who have put me up at their houses. I am loathe to cut off that channel.

However, more and more, I find people who see “friendship” as their chance to market to me. SAD-FACE EMOTICON. These are not people I’m interested in being friends with on Facebook—or anywhere, really. If we’re going to be friends on FB, let’s be friends. Let’s post funny, interesting, useful stuff for each other to read. Have conversations.

Now that we’re friends, will you “like” my Facebook page? It is for something superfantasticallyAWESOME!

I’m sure it is, but no.

But I need you to “like” my page or I’ll be fired!

There’s no other way to put this: if that’s true, you have the wrong job.

Well, how about we connect via LinkedIn? Surely, you can’t have an objection to that.

Actually, I do. Again, not because I am a dickhead, but because I reserve LinkedIn for people I know well enough personally to recommend.

Can I buy an ad on your site?

No.

Will you trade links with me?

No.

Well, then, will you link to this awesome thing my client/my daughter/I wrote?

Probably not, but if you write a nice note, I am more likely to check it out. No promises.

Do you accept guest posts?

No.

Never?

Never.

How about if I email you about it anyway?

Definitely not then. (Seriously, please don’t. And definitely don’t send a passive-aggressive follow-up note when I don’t reply to your first email.)

Basically, I want whatever is helpful to people to reach as many of them as possible. But I do like seeing my name in print (plus it, along with a link, helps those who need it to find more helpful stuff), and really, I give so much away for free that it REALLY chaps my hide when I see people doing gross, funky stuff with my stuff to make a quick buck. (Be nice!)